Newsroom

Want to help Avalon Elementary students learn through creativity? Become a Certified Coach for the Northgate Makerspace by completing three workshop sessions! 

Our innovative makerspace is a creative and risk-free environment to accumulate success and learning at every turn. Each of these training sessions will provide a meal, T-shirt, child care and a delicious dessert. It’s simply “Learning you can sink your teeth into.” 

There is no obligation to attend all three workshops. You may also attend any of the sessions simply to have fun and connect with other families!

We are offering parent workshops where we take you behind the curtain of maker learning and the soft skills of teaching/coaching we use everyday in classrooms throughout our school.  

Please see the attached document and use the links below to sign up for the first session of your choosing. If you have any questions, please email Dr. Joseph Peacock, principal, at joseph.peacock@northgatesd.net

Tuesday, July 12th 
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C48A5AF23A4F49-parents

Wednesday, August 10th
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C48A5AF23A4F49-parents1

Tuesday, August 16th 
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C48A5AF23A4F49-parents2

The Northgate School District will be hosting the next two Steel City Codes summer camps at the Allegheny General Hospital Suburban Campus in Bellevue. The free summer camps will be July 25-29 and August 8-12. These camps are an excellent opportunity for students entering grades 4-8 to learn about coding!

Click here to register: https://bit.ly/39K6e4U

The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh is excited to announce it has been awarded a grant to fund 20 students in the after-school program in the Northgate School District next school year.

The YMCA is currently accepting applications for these 20 spots.

In order to qualify you must:

Fill out the attached application.  Please email the completed form to base@ymcapgh.org. Spots will be allocated to families who qualify on a first come, first served basis.  If you have already registered for the after-school program, you can still apply to see if you would qualify for a funded spot.

Students are expected to attend the program every day that they attend school with few understandable exceptions.  Families who only need/want to attend the program part-time should not apply for these spots.

The program begins at the end of the school day and runs until 6 p.m.

The deadline to apply has been extended to July 11.

Families will be notified no later than July 14 regarding the status of their application.  

Families who receive the funded spots will be notified by email and will be expected to officially register online and pay a one-time $30 registration fee.  There will not be any additional fees for the remainder of the school year to participate in the program.

For more information on the program, contact the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh.

Resources:

YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Family Eligibility Application Form

Northgate After-School Registration Information 

The Northgate School District was selected as a Moonshot grantee by Remake Learning for its continuing efforts to improve mental health resources for students through innovative practices.

In 2021, Remake Learning asked educators to dream big — to think of innovative, creative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing our schools and learning communities. Since then, 17 inaugural Moonshot grantees have received more than $1 million in funding to build out experimental ideas, test new concepts, and find powerful ways to move education toward a new future of learning.

Remake Learning will again distribute more than $1 million this year in support of bold ideas for the future of learning, and Northgate was one of nine educational entities selected in the first round of applicants to join the 2022 cohort.

The grant will support the district’s Partnerships for Change project, a partnership with  Carnegie Mellon University, Allegheny Health Network, Simcoach Games, and Chill Therapists to create game-based mental health tools and a school-based horticulture therapy site, which will also incorporate game interventions. Over the 2022-23 school year, the project team will work with student developers to ensure relevance and build a system for developing, testing, and scaling ideas.

Superintendent Dr. Caroline Johns said the project aims to increase and scale the district’s behavioral and mental health services by: building and testing a school site-based horticulture therapy program and technological and game-based behavioral/mental health interventions in connection with the CHILL project. The proposed technological and game-based behavioral/mental health interventions would also work in connection with the new horticulture therapy program.

Moonshot grantees have challenged traditional notions of professional development, explored personalized learning in schools by abandoning traditional letter grades, and experimented with community-based, multigenerational learning.

“Each of these projects was selected because they go above and beyond in their missions to engage students, remove barriers, increase accessibility, and utilize new learning environments,” said Tyler Samstag, Remake Learning Network Director. “Moonshot Grants were created to disrupt the status quo and we can’t wait to see what this cohort of grantees will accomplish.”

Support for Moonshot Grants is generously provided by The Grable Foundation and The Benedum Foundation.

Other educational entities in the cohort include: Baldwin-Whitehall School District, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Environmental Charter School, The Woodlands Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, California Area School District, Hatch and the Wheeling County Day School.

Dr. Nicole Smith, principal of Northgate High School, is a recipient of the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Urban Education Award.

Each year, Schools That Can (STC) and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights join forces to publicly recognize leaders from STC's diverse national network of schools. School leaders, teachers, and students who embody leadership, commitment to change and progress, and dedication to helping their communities are nominated.

“I’m very flattered to be honored,” said Dr. Smith who will be recognized during a virtual awards ceremony Thursday with other esteemed educators. “They think I have made changes here at Northgate that are impacting our students in such a positive way.”

Dr. Smith was nominated by Carol Wooten, senior lead consultant for Schools That Can, and Bryn Simpson, Director of Educational Programs for the organization.

“They’ve been wonderful to partner with,” Dr. Smith said. “They have a lot of experience in the field and do a lot of great things for students in the Pittsburgh area and around the country.”

Schools That Can is a national not-for-profit network of K-12 schools in multiple cities, focused on providing culturally relevant career readiness programming that helps schools meet student needs

Northgate has worked closely with Schools That Can in recent years, especially to help bolster the school district’s career readiness preparation for students.

“They’ve had representatives come into our school to speak to 10th grade students to help them define their career pathways,” Dr. Smith said. “That includes doing mock interviews and other kinds of career preparation. We will continue to expand on our career and future readiness projects with them.”

In addition to career readiness, Northgate has partnered with Schools That Can to expand resources for its engineering programming, as well as participate in the organization’s annual Design Challenge.

June marks the celebration of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. During Pride Month, we take the opportunity to celebrate the courage and strength of the individuals in our community who are fighting to live freely and authentically. In doing so, they are opening hearts and minds and laying the foundation for a more just and equitable community. No matter who we are, what we look like, or who we love, we know our communities are stronger when everyone can be their authentic selves, work together, and show up for each other.

The Northgate School District would like to express its support for all of those who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.  This June you inspire us to continue to build a more equitable and supportive school community where everyone can thrive.

Do you have a 14-year-old who loves animals? Animal Friends is seeking campers to attend a no-cost animal-focused Summer Camp!  If you are seeking community-involvement opportunities for your teen, ways to support your child’s interest in animals or an animal-related career, or simply meaningful activities to take part in together, we invite you to learn more about Alicia’s Camp.

This free summer camp will connect Northgate teens to the mission of Animal Friends through encounters with dogs, cats, and rabbits, hands-on collaborative projects, and behind-the-scenes peeks at the shelter.  Please see the attached flyer for more information, as spaces are limited!

Congratulations, seniors! 

Graduation is quickly approaching. Please see below for a list of the various events and activities leading up to commencement on June 10. 

If you have any questions, please contact the main office. 

Click here to view the Senior Event Flyer.

Prom
Friday, May 20th
Promenade - MS/HS Auditorium Start Time - 5:30 pm
Students should arrive at 5:15 pm Prom - Zoo
When: 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm

Senior Awards
Monday, June 6th
Where: MS/HS Auditorium When: 10:45 am

Senior Picnic
Tuesday, June 7th
Where: Ohio Twp. Park Time: TBD

Senior Breakfast
Thursday, June 9th
Where: Avalon Elementary
Start time: 8:30 am
*Students will receive their cap and gowns as well as (6) guest passes.

Clap Out
Thursday, June 9th
Start Time: 9:00 am
Where: Avalon Elementary (aer the senior breakfast) and Bellevue Elementary.

Graduation Practice
Thursday, June 9th
Where: Alumni Stadium Start Time: 10:30 am *Practice is mandatory!

Commencement Ceremony
Friday June 10th
Where: Alumni Stadium
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Seniors should report to Alumni Stadium at 6:30 pm. Doors open at 6:45 pm for families and friends.
*The Rain Date for Graduation is June 11th. If it rains on June 11th, the ceremony will be moved into the Auditorium

Northgate High School students delivered nine custom-built dog houses to the Trumbull County Dog Kennel in Warren, Ohio, on May 13, concluding months of work to address a need for additional shelter.

Eight students, along with Superintendent Dr. Caroline Johns and Mr. Clayton Berwick, industrial arts teacher, made the 75-mile trip to deliver and install the dog houses.

“This was an exciting conclusion to months of hard work by the students,” Dr. Johns said. “The project showcases not only the quality of the woodworking skills developed in Mr. Berwick’s industrial arts classroom, but also the kind, generous attitudes of our students at Northgate.”

The dog houses were made in Mr. Berwick’s home maintenance class with the help of other woodworking and art students in the high school.

“We started building them in early November after visiting the kennel to look around and get a feel for what they needed,” Berwick said. “The project took a lot of time and effort, but it was all for a good cause.”

Members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will perform an outdoor concert at Bellevue Elementary as a culminating Mindful Music activity on May 16.

There will be two 20-minute concerts, one for K-3 at 10 a.m., followed by a performance for grades 4-6. The event will be in the Learning Garden in front of the school, with students seated around the musicians. A Q&A session with the performers will be part of the experience.

Parents and community members will be able to stand along Lincoln and Howard avenues to enjoy the music as well. The concert is dependent on weather and will be moved inside to the auditorium just for students if it rains.

Explore, wonder and learn with us during our Remake Learning Night on May 17. Families in both Avalon and Bellevue elementary schools are invited to attend the event at Avalon Elementary from 6 to 8 p.m. Enjoy a variety of technology and fun activities during this spotlight on innovative education.

The Northgate Girls Basketball Boosters are sponsoring a basketball camp for boys and girls in grades 3 to 6 from June 20-22. 

The cost of the camp is $75, which includes a t-shirt, daily prizes and a last day pizza party. Payment is due the first day of camp. Checks should be made payable to Northgate Girls’ Basketball Boosters.

For information, call 412-913-4517.

Click here for a registration form.

Registration for this years Northgate Football Golf Outing is now open! You can register online at the following link: https://bit.ly/NorthgateFBGolf2022

This event has had a great turnout the past two years! The football team is looking to continue the momentum to support all of the hard work our players are putting in! Consider entering a foursome or being a sponsor. Great raffle prizes such as a big screen TV, Pyramid of Beer, etc.